


Diphylleia Grayi

by ShiroRikiya



Series: Fiori Malinconici [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Angst and Feels, Avian Au, Character Death, Flowers, M/M, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Wingfic, its not that bad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-22
Updated: 2017-04-22
Packaged: 2018-10-22 12:14:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10696803
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShiroRikiya/pseuds/ShiroRikiya
Summary: This flower is called Diphylleia Grayi, Vitya.It’s commonly known as the skeleton flower. At first glance it may appear to be nothing but an ordinary flower but when it comes in contact with rain, its petals turns translucent.Like a flower made of glass.It’s very beautiful, Vitya.





	Diphylleia Grayi

Katsuki Yuuri, 23 years old, have always been fascinated with Avians. 

 

Avians. 

 

Humanlike beings with only the difference of them having wings. Almost like angels. They are so intriguing, almost ethereal in their beauty. 

 

Yuuri still remembers the first time he had met one. He was eight, only a boy who had started to discover the thrill of adventure, believing that he held the world in his hands. He had gotten lost in the wood by their house. The woods weren't really that thick but to an eight-year-old boy, it might as well be the Amazon rainforest.

He had gotten lost and he was scared. Tears rolled down his cheeks as he tried to stifle his sobs, his whole frame trembling in the effort to reign in his panic as he tried to find his way back. 

 

He had wandered for what felt like an eternity. All the trees had looked the same, menacing as if the woods were conspiring to keep him lost and never to be returned to the world. Eternities seemed to pass and when Yuuri had felt that he would never find his way back, he had found someone. 

 

A boy. 

 

In the middle of the woods, there stood a boy, the same age as Yuuri. He had jet black hair and caramel skin and on his back were a pair of wings. Yuuri had stood perfectly still, unable to comprehend what he was seeing. Even though he was only eight years old, he knew perfectly well that humans didn't have wings. And since his parents owned an inn, he saw a lot of people and all of them didn't have wings. Before Yuuri could do anything, the boy had turned around and cheerful dark grey eyes met his own. 

 

_How pretty…_

 

 _”Hello. Are you lost?”_ the boy had asked with a slightly accented voice as he came closer to Yuuri, his wings flapping slightly with every step he took. 

 

 _”I-I um…yes...I…I can’t find m-my way b-back,”_ Yuuri had stuttered so badly, overwhelmed with how pretty the other boy was. He was like those magical beings that his mother had told him before he went to sleep. He was just like those.

 

 _”That’s okay! I’ll help you then!”_ the boy cheerfully offers and takes Yuuri’s hand and leads him to somewhere. 

 

In the back of his mind, Yuuri hears his mother’s voice, sternly reminding him to never talk to strangers and definitely not follow them anywhere. 

 

But surely this angel won’t do anything bad to him, right?

 

_”What’s your name?”_

 

_”Y-Yuuri.”_

 

 _”Nice to meet you, Yuuri! I’m Phichit!”_ Phichit smiles as he looks back at Yuuri and he couldn’t help but feel conscious of his dirty appearance but Phichit doesn’t seem to mind as he continues to hold on to Yuuri’s hand. 

 

Phichit had led him to the edge of the woods, where Yuuri could see the roof of their house. Yuuri was about to sprint back to his house when he remembered Phichit and was about to say thank you when he turns and sees that Phichit was _flying._ He was hovering by the branches of the trees and he looked so beautiful. Yuuri could only stare in awe as Phichit smiled at him. 

 

 _”Bye bye, Yuuri! I hope we’ll see each other again soon!”_

 

And he flew away.

 

The next day, Yuuri’s family moved to another place and he never saw Phichit again. 

 

Fifteen years have passed since then and Yuuri’s now a scientist. Ever since he had met Phichit and had learned that the Avians were hated for some reason, he had decided to be a scientist to study and understand them and make the rest of humanity understand that Avians are not dangerous. Well, yes, he was just a newbie research assistant but Yuuri was determined to make his dream come true. He had wanted to help the Avian race, just like how Phichit had helped him fifteen years ago. 

 

Well, that was what Yuuri had thought. That was his dream. For the past fifteen years, he had worked hard to get accepted into one of the Avian facilities. He had wanted to help them. To have the rest of humanity accept the Avians and end the war. 

 

And then he saw Minami’s body. 

 

Minami Kenjirou, a 17-year-old boy who had looked up to Yuuri. Minami was the teenager who had lived in the apartment next to Yuuri’s. He was a very cheerful and innocent young man who had looked at Yuuri as if he held the stars and the moon. Yuuri still remembers that time a year ago when Minami had told him that he wanted to be a scientist like him. That he wanted to help the Avian race like Yuuri does. He had hope in his eyes and determination in his voice and Yuuri had smiled back at him, saying that he believes that Minami could do it. 

 

But a year after that, everything changed. 

 

A week ago, Minami had been caught. Minami was an Avian. Yuuri didn’t know, and apparently, neither did Minami. 

 

He still remembers the unshakable trust in Minami’s eyes as he asked Yuuri. Asked him that he’ll be fine right because the facilities were there to help the Avians and since Minami had never done anything wrong in his life, he’ll be fine, right? And Yuuri had said yes, promising Minami of safety even though he still didn’t know how the Avians were being treated in the facilities, haven’t even been involved in anything related to Avians yet; haven’t even known a single thing about the conditions of the detained Avians inside the facilities. 

 

So he had said yes, all of his faith placed in his naïve thinking that humans weren’t so cruel. 

 

Oh, how wrong he was. 

 

Yuuri had sneaked past the securities. He had wanted to see Minami. He didn’t really know why he did but he had wanted to. Maybe it was just to talk to the boy or check up on him. Yuuri had asked first to see him but got denied, them claiming that it was dangerous, to which Yuuri could only stare in bafflement. Minami could never be dangerous. The boy couldn’t even hurt a fly. So Yuuri had sneaked in at night to the part of the facilities where the Avians were kept. 

 

After all, it was okay as long as no one else knew. 

 

There was nothing out of the ordinary at first, just the usual stellar white walls and the sharp smell of disinfectant. Yuuri had gotten a bit lost and had wondered around until he ended up outside an operation room. Which didn’t make sense because why would an operation room be needed here? This was supposed to be a safe place for Avians, a place to protect them from people who wanted nothing more but to kill them. 

 

 _So why is there a…_

 

Yuuri pushed open the door and what he saw was hell. 

 

 

###

 

 

 _After I get you out of this bullshit I will kill you and then revive you and kill you again, Beka,_ Yuri thinks viciously as he ducks in a shadowed corner as a human in a lab coat passes by. He resists the impulse to just pull out his gun and shoot the damn pig down. His mission was to rescue Otabek and get the hell away from this place, not to kill a bunch of swine even though they sorely deserved it. 

 

Yuri’s left shoulder burns slightly as if it was trying to say: _No, go away. It’s dangerous. Don’t do this, Yura._

 

Yuri feels a vein pop on his forehead and he squeezes his left shoulder as he sends the most intense anger that he could manage through their bond and he thinks: _Well, if you weren’t such a fucking idiot, I wouldn’t have to do this. So shut it, Beka._

 

His shoulder stops burning but a tiny, barely there soreness remains, telling Yuri that the idiot was still worrying and is very much against this. 

 

 _I’m not going to lose you now that I’ve finally found you, Beka. Even if I have to burn this whole fucking place down, I will find you and get you and your stupid ass out of here._

 

Yuri moves stealthily, running from door to door, checking in on the little window to see if Otabek was in one of the rooms. The doors were electrically locked and needed an authorised ID to open but luckily, Yuri had swiped one from some disgusting human earlier, so there was no problem with that. Yuri tries to move as fast as he can. He checks if the coast was clear, looks inside the window, checks the coast again and checks the next room. He didn’t know if there were other Avians imprisoned in the facility but as far as Yuri knows, there weren’t anyone who had been captured from their group. But anyway, Yuri’s top priority was to rescue Otabek and if he happens to see another Avian, well, he’ll deal with it later. 

 

In the ninth door that he checks, he finally finds what he’s looking for. 

 

Yuri doesn’t waste another second and opens the door. Otabek was about to say something but he sent a glare and pulled Otabek with him. 

 

 _Now, let’s get the fuck out of here._

 

And they almost made it. 

 

Almost.

 

But then someone shouts and calls for the guards. 

 

Yuri turns around and sees the pig from earlier, his face red and frantic as he pointed towards them. And Yuri feels another wave of anger inside him. 

 

_I should’ve killed you earlier._

 

“Beka, we have to run!”

 

 

###

 

 

_“Vitya.”_

 

_Viktor smiles as his mother’s gentle hand soothe back his hair and he snuggles closer to his parents with his puppy, Makkachin._

 

_“Vitya really loves cuddles, huh?” his father asks as he laughs lightly and envelopes Viktor and his mother in a hug._

 

_“Yes! I love Mother and Father and especially cuddles with you two!” Viktor enthusiastically says and he hugs both of his parents._

 

_“We love you too, Vitya,” Viktor’s mother kisses his forehead and smiles at him at him, her golden eyes shining with gentleness. “Your hair is getting longer, Vitya. Don’t you want to cut it?”_

 

_Viktor shakes his head. “No. I want to grow it. I want my hair to get as long as yours, Mama!” Viktor declares as he reaches out to his mother’s hair, the same shade of platinum blonde as his._

 

 _“Well, I hope that you take after your father, Vitya,” Viktor tilts his head slightly, puzzled._

 

_Viktor sees his father’s blue eyes fill with worry as he looks at his mother._

 

_“You don’t make sense, Mama. I take after the two of you because I’m your son.”_

 

 _“Yes, you are. But I want you to take more after your Papa, Vitya,” Viktor sees his mother’s eyes tinged with sadness, and he’s confused._

 

 _“Papa?” he turns to his father, silently asking if there was something wrong._

 

 _His father just shakes his head as he hugs them again but Viktor still saw the worry in his eyes._

 

 _“No matter what, I love the two of you. You both are the love of my life and I will protect you.”_

 

_Viktor hugs back._

 

_“I love you too, Papa, Mama."_

 

 

###

 

 

Minami was dead. 

 

He was tied down on the operating table, his mouth slightly parted and his eyes were empty as he stared at the lights above. Bruises, cuts and gaping wounds littered his body and both of his ankles were broken, possibly from having some kind of heavy object smashed into it. And his wings were broken too. One of his wings had been cut off and the other one that remained had been mutilated ruthlessly. The pure white feathers stained with drying blood while some were scattered on the ground. 

 

 _He’s dead…Minami’s dead and I-I promised him that…that it’ll be okay…_

 

Yuuri feels his stomach turn and he fights himself from vomiting. This was not the time. 

 

Yuuri looks around and sees a door by his left. He opens the door and sees countless of monitors and even though he knew what he was going to see, he still pressed play. 

 

The monitor in front of him comes to life and Minami’s bloodcurdling screams fill the whole room. In the monitor, Yuuri sees Minami struggling, trying to break free from his bonds as some people cut him open. Yuuri’s eyes water and he move to stop the video, unable to bear any more of it when Minami screams again. 

 

_”Yuuri! Yuuri! Help me! Yuuri!”_

 

Something inside Yuuri snaps and he turns off the monitor. In a frantic haze, he sneaks out and runs back to his apartment, his lungs burning. 

 

Minami’s screams echo inside his head and he had called for Yuuri. He had called out for Yuuri, still believing that Yuuri would save him. Even as his voice broke, he had still called out Yuuri’s name but Yuuri didn’t hear. 

 

Yuuri’s stomach turns again and he vomits on the floor, his throat aching as hot tears left a blazing trail down his cheeks. 

 

_Minami’s dead._

 

 

###

 

 

_Fuck._

 

_Shit._

 

_Fuck!_

 

Yuri lets out a string of curses as he stares at the disaster in front of him. The bridge was broken and the current below was too strong to swim in. And he couldn’t fly yet. 

 

_God fucking dammit. I should’ve really learned to fly as early as I could. Fucking Mila telling me that I wasn’t ready yet. Well, fuck, now I’m definitely not ready and we’re gonna fucking die._

 

Yuri turns to Otabek. 

 

“Beka, go.” 

 

Otabek looks at him as if he was crazy. 

 

“No. I’m not leaving you behind.” 

 

“I can’t fly yet, Beka,” Yuri sighs. “And before you say that you’ll carry me, I know that you can’t. You’re still injured. Don’t even lie. If you force it, we’ll both just fall into the river and I didn’t risk my life back there just to have the both of us die from stupidity.” 

 

“No.” 

 

Yuri feels a flare of anger inside him. “Otabek, just go! You can fly so fucking go! You can come back and save me later!”

 

“I’m not leaving you behind,” Otabek moves forward and engulfs him in a tight embrace, refusing to let go. 

 

_I’m not leaving you. I can’t. I won’t._

 

Yuri reluctantly hugs him back and a while later he hears the humans getting close. 

 

 _God fucking dammit._

 

 

###

 

 

Viktor woke up feeling like his whole body, especially his back, had been set on fire. 

 

Everything just hurt. The slightest movement would send a jolt of sharp pain coursing throughout his body, even moving his eyes resulted in the same thing. So Viktor stayed where he was: lying on his stomach on his bed, eyes closed and unmoving. As he tries to stay still, he tries to think about what could’ve possibly made him feel like this. Last night, he had attended a party. Some kind of fundraising and Viktor is pretty sure that the only reason why he’d been invited was because of his ‘controversial’ view on Avian rights. 

 

Yeah, because wanting to give another species a right to live without fear was apparently blasphemous. 

 

A lot of people would look at Viktor as if he was some kind of freak or a lunatic. Like he was someone who’d one day whip out a gun in public and start shooting everyone on sight. 

 

Well, excuse him for being a decent human being. 

 

Viktor hated the party. The only reason why he had gone there was because it was expected of him and his best friend, Chris, had literally threatened him with violence if he doesn’t come. So he had, and he hated it. He had only stayed for an hour, long enough for Chris to arrive with his husband and appease him. Viktor had left immediately after the seventeenth time of some woman rubbing their chest on him. They were beautiful and all and Viktor’s a bit flattered but he’s not really into women. 

 

So, Viktor left early and he’s pretty sure that he didn’t even touch a single glass of alcohol in that party, or even the food. 

 

Nothing at all. 

 

So why does he feel like he’s been dipped in acid and at least ten demons were ripping into his back?

 

Through some miracle, he had somehow managed to call Chris and after three rings, he answers. 

 

“Viktor?” 

 

“Chris.”

 

“What’s wrong? You sound like you’re dying,” Chris asks in a groggy voice as Viktor hears some rustling on Chris’ end. 

 

“I don’t feel good at all. I think I’m sick or something,” Viktor whines and Chris laughs lightly. 

 

“Did you drink something weird last night from the party or what?” 

 

“I don’t know. Please, send help. Send the doctor. Send the priest. Anyone.” 

 

Chris laughs again at Viktor’s antics. “Hold on, Viktor. I’m gonna go there now and bring you some medicine and food. Try not to die before then.” 

 

“If I die, you’ll play the saxophone on my burial, right?” 

 

“Yes, yes I will.”

 

“Bring ice cream?” Viktor asks and his voice cracks at the end which made him sound more pitiful while Chris only laughed. 

 

“Yes I will, Princess.” 

 

“Thank you. Love you.” 

 

“Love you, too.” 

 

Viktor chuckles and he cuts off the call, his eyes getting heavy again. He’d barely managed to place his phone on the nightstand before he fell back to sleep. 

 

After what felt like years later, Viktor wakes up to the sounds of the door opening. He had expected to feel a little bit better after his nap but what happened was the exact opposite. His head was throbbing painfully; his throat felt like he had downed a pail full of sand and the burning on his back had intensified. 

 

“Vicky? Where are you? I brought ice cream. Did you die?” Chris calls and Viktor hears the sounds of footsteps getting closer to his bedroom door. Viktor lets out a pitiful groan to let his friend know that he hasn’t died yet. 

 

“Oh God, you sound so horrible. Are you sure no one poisoned you or anything?” Chris asks laughing lightly as Viktor’s bedroom door opens. Viktor only lets out a groan again, waiting for Chris to get closer and hand him some medicine. A few moments passed but Chris didn’t approach him or even said anything. Did Chris leave? 

 

With some difficulty, Viktor opens his eyes and looks at the door where he sees Chris, only to see his best friend standing still by the door, his hand still on the doorknob while the other held a plastic bag full of medicine and ice cream, his eyes wide with shock. 

 

“Chris…?” Viktor’s voice seems to snap Chris out of whatever trance he was in and he meets Viktor’s eyes, bewilderment in them. 

 

“Viktor…you have…wings…”

 

Viktor blinks a few times, unable to comprehend what Chris was saying. 

 

“What?”

 

Instead of answering, Chris points to him, or more specifically, on his back. And right on cue, Viktor feels something twitch behind him and something feathery and white passes Viktor’s vision. His eyes go wide and he looks back at Chris, confusion and surprise swirling inside him. 

 

“What the hell?”

 

Chris drops the plastic bag, its contents spilling out on the floor in a mess, perfectly imitating what they felt at the moment. 

 

 

###

 

 

Yuuri woke up with a throbbing head, his throat parched and his whole body feeling sore. He looks around in confusion, wondering why he’s by the door of his apartment when he remembers what happened last night and nausea creeps up on him again. 

 

_Minami’s dead._

 

Yuuri’s treacherous mind keeps on repeating the same line and soon, the tears start falling. 

 

And Yuuri cried. He cried out heart-wrenching sobs. He cried like the day when his dog, Vicchan, had died. He cried like the day when they had to move again and he had to leave his friends, Yuuko and Takeshi behind. He cried like the day when his sister had come home, clothes torn in places as blood drenched her clothes; her eyes excruciatingly empty as she told Yuuri that their parents aren’t coming home. He cried like the day when his sister had pushed him away, tears in her eyes as she locked the door between them, telling him that he should live, that he needs to live. 

 

He cried.

 

Yuuri cried till he lost his voice, till his tears had dried until he felt blissfully empty. 

 

Hours seemed to pass as Yuuri stared at the ceiling, looking for patterns that don’t exist. He doesn’t want to think. He doesn’t want to do anything. He just wants to…to hide.

 

_Someone…help me…_

 

Yuuri’s phone rings frighteningly loud in the silence of his apartment and he jumps as if someone had stabbed him. His phone ring once, twice, thrice. The fourth time it rings, Yuuri answers. 

 

“Hello?”

 

“Katsuki, where are you?” 

 

It was Yakov Feltsman, one of the scientists in the facility. 

 

“Sir? Um, at home, sir.” 

 

“Well, come here right away. They caught another Avian last night. They’re putting you in charge with studying him,” Yakov informs in a gruff voice and Yuuri feels the bile rise up in his throat. 

 

“I…”

 

“Katsuki? What’s wrong? Isn’t this what you have been waiting for?” 

 

Yuuri’s grip on his phone tightens and something inside him curls up as he feels another fresh wave of tears fall.

 

“Yes, sir. I’ll be there right away.” 

 

 

###

 

 

Another growl rips through Yuri’s throat as another human tries to approaches him. 

 

 _Try me. Come on. One step closer and I will rip your throat out with my own teeth._

 

It’s been two days since they’ve been caught and since then, Yuri hasn’t seen Otabek. It sets him on edge, not seeing the other but at least he knows that Otabek is fine through their soul bond. The other had been constantly sending him waves of comfort but it only serves to make Yuri angrier. He had never liked being confined, never liked the feeling of being restrained and especially not seeing Otabek, not seeing with his own eyes that Otabek is really okay. And it doesn’t help that the humans have been trying to approach him, trying to touch him with their disgusting hands and trying to calm him down; telling him that they won’t hurt him. 

 

Ha.

 

As if he would fall for their stupid lies. 

 

“Sir, it’s not working. This one seems to be feral. It also doesn’t seem to understand human words.” 

 

Yuri holds himself back from lunging himself at them and ripping their throats out, it would not help and it would be better if they think that he doesn’t understand what they’re talking about. But it still doesn’t change the fact that he’s furious at them for thinking that he doesn’t understand them and comparing him to a wild animal. 

 

 _When I get out here I’m going to kill all of you._

 

 

###

 

 

_“Mama, why do you always sing that when Papa is away?” Viktor asks as his mother sings the mournful song again, and even though Viktor doesn’t understand the foreign words, it still hurts him._

 

_“Because I miss your Papa, Vitya,” Viktor tilts his head, confused. “You see, I love your Papa very much and I miss him dearly even when we’re only apart for the shortest time.”_

 

 _“So you sing that when you miss Papa?” Viktor’s mother smiles and nods at him as she combed back his shoulder length hair. “What’s it called Mama?”_

 

_“Stammi Vicino.”_

 

 

###

 

 

Yuuri arrives at the facility thirty minutes later, his face devoid of any emotion, his whole being numb. Seung-gil meets him by the entrance, takes one look at him and immediately drags him to one of the break rooms and Yuuri relents, too tired to even put up a fight. 

 

“What happened?” Seung-gil asks as soon as he had forcibly sat down Yuuri on one of the foldable chairs, a hint of worry visible in his eyes. 

 

Yuuri stares at him, mind malfunctioning and unable to comprehend the question. It takes him a few seconds to realise that it was Seung-gil, his friend since college. They had studied together, wanting to help the Avian race. Seung-gil is his friend. Someone he could trust. And he asked him a question. What was it again? 

 

_’What happened?’_

 

 _’Minami’s dead. I killed him.’_ Yuuri’s treacherous mind helpfully supplies and despite the fact that he had cried until nothing was left earlier, he still feels the tears starting to gather in the corner of his eyes. He knows he can trust Seung-gil, he knows that. He has been like a brother to Yuuri and that’s exactly why he can’t tell him. 

 

Yuuri had done the exact opposite of what had been told to him. He had sneaked in where he was not allowed to go. He had gone against his orders and as a result had learned a secret that would probably cost him his life. So he can’t tell Seung-gil, no matter how much he wants to, no matter how he just wants to spill his guts and cry again and have someone else think for him. He can’t put Seung-gil in danger too. For all he knows, they might’ve already realised that someone had broken in last night and is currently searching for the culprit. He can’t do that to Seung-gil. Not when Yuuri vividly remembers how soft his smile was as he told Yuuri about his boyfriend who’s really obsessed with social media. He can’t – won't – do it. He won’t let anyone else get killed because of him. 

 

So he blinks back the tears, looks back to Seung-gil and keeps his smile from breaking. 

 

“Nothing.” 

 

 

###

 

 

Another Avian got caught. 

 

Yuri sees him as the humans dragged him to the cell in front of his, restrained, bruised up in places as blood dried on various parts of his body. He was older than Yuri, with silver hair and white wings. Yuri studies him carefully, notes how his wings would weakly twitch every few seconds or violently when the humans would come in contact with it. He probably didn’t know that he was an Avian until today, poor guy. 

 

Yuri could only imagine how confusing everything must be for him. 

 

They tossed the silver haired guy inside the cell and Yuri could barely hold back a growl. They just really had to toss him on his back and hurt the guy’s wings more, don’t they? 

 

The guy doesn’t move for a while, remains on the floor and just as Yuri was about to call him, he moves and sits up. Yuri meets his eyes and it scares Yuri.

 

His blue eyes looked like fractured glass. 

 

 

###

 

 

Viktor closes his eyes, tired of staring at the ceiling and tries not to surrender to his poisonous thoughts. Wallowing in self-pity or surrendering to despair or crying won’t change his situation at all. And besides, he had already cried. He had cried till he couldn’t anymore. Crying more won’t really help. And it would only make him feel worse about his situation. 

 

At least he has Chris. 

 

Chris, who had vehemently refused to abandon Viktor when he had suggested that Chris should leave him and pretend that he didn’t know anything. Viktor still remembers the irritation on Chris’ face when he had suggested it and he had looked at Viktor like he had just kicked a dog and drowned a cat. 

 

After that day when Viktor had magically grown wings, Chris had immediately smuggled Viktor to his own house and there Viktor stayed. Chris and his husband, Stéphane, had called his office, said that he was sick and kept him hidden. Viktor is really grateful to the two of them. They were his family and every time he remembers how the two of them had comforted him and promised that they would protect him, Viktor would always feel warm and safe. But still, Viktor couldn’t help but worry. 

 

Harbouring an Avian is punishable by death, after all. 

 

The sounds of hurried footsteps snap Viktor out of his thoughts and his bedroom door slams open. Chris and Stéphane rush in, fear and worry in their eyes and Viktor feel his heart drop somewhere on the floor. 

 

“Viktor, you have to run! Now!” Chris grasps both of his shoulders as Stéphane locks the door and places a chair under the doorknob.

 

“W-what?” 

 

“They knew. Somehow they knew. I think they’ve been monitoring you for a long time now, Viktor. They’re headed here right now,” Stéphane explains. 

 

The sound of something wooden being broken stops Viktor’s question and for a second, the three of them looks at each other, the fear in their eyes reflecting Viktor’s. 

 

“Viktor!”

 

And chaos erupts all around them. 

 

 

###

 

 

Yuuri feels the weight of Yakov’s gaze on him as he accepts the folder and he avoids meeting his eyes. Yuuri’s very much aware that he looks as if he hasn’t slept at all and his swollen eyes probably don't help one bit but he’s here already, his head much clearer after his talk with Seung-gil. 

 

They might already know that someone had broken into the lab last night and they might already be looking for whoever it was. Yakov might already be suspecting him but Yuuri knows what he has to do. He doesn’t know how much time he has left before they find out but he’ll do it. 

 

Yuuri excuses himself without a word and enters the room. He closes his eyes for a few seconds, takes a deep breath and prays to whoever would listen out there to help him with keeping himself from breaking down and having a panic attack. 

 

Yuuri opens his eyes and looks through the one-way mirror and his throat seizes up. 

 

_No. Not you. You can’t be here. You shouldn’t be here._

 

 

###

 

 

Anger smoulders inside Yuri. 

 

How dare this fucking pig lie right in front of him? How fucking dare he think that Yuri is stupid enough to fall for his lie? How dare they think that something as stupid as a lie like that would be enough to make Yuri lower his guard?

 

He had crashed and burned too many fucking times by trusting humans. He won’t be doing the same mistake anytime soon. 

 

“Please. Tell me. I know that you understand me. Please, I just want to help. We don’t have much time.” 

 

Yuri’s anger wavered. 

 

His eyes. 

 

This person’s eyes remind him of memories that he’d rather not remember. 

 

 _His eyes are just like Grandpa’s…_

 

 

###

 

 

Viktor runs. 

 

He runs. 

 

Runs. 

 

And runs some more. 

 

His lungs burns and his legs ache. His vision turns blurry as tears fall from his eyes but Viktor doesn’t dare to stop. It hurts. Everything hurts and all he wants to do is collapse and let everything out but adrenaline pumps through his veins; it forbids him from stopping. 

 

Fear weighs heavily in his mind and it mixes splendidly well with the anguish in his heart. 

 

It’s his entire fault. He shouldn’t have stayed with Chris and Stéphane. He shouldn’t have. He should’ve insisted on leaving. He shouldn’t have the given in to his fear of being alone. But he was weak and he had let them. He had latched onto the chance of not being alone despite knowing how dangerous it was. And now it’s come to this. 

 

Viktor remembers the thundering sounds of gunshots and he almost trips and falls. A whimper escapes from his lips and he remembers Chris’ desperate eyes as he pushed Viktor through the window. Viktor clearly remembers how the blood glimmered under the afternoon light; remembers how he felt horror settle in his bones as he heard the sound of two bodies hitting the floor as he fell from the window. 

 

_I’m so sorry._

 

Something heavy lands on top of Viktor and all too soon his face comes in contact with dirt. He feels the sickening crunch of bones as his nose breaks and pain races up his spine as the glass embedded on his side from the window he fell from earlier digs deeper into him. 

 

Viktor tries to stand up, to struggle but the weight on top of him refuses to budge. He twists his head to the side and sees a person on top of him, wearing a military uniform. 

 

“Fucking animal, making us chase you all the way here,” the person spats and Viktor squeezes his eyes shut as the person on top of him raises the butt of his gun. 

 

Viktor groans as the butt of the gun connect with the back of his head and his consciousness starts to waver. 

 

 _Mama…Papa…please…help me…_

 

 

###

 

 

Yuuri takes several deep breaths, doing his best to keep his anxiety attack at bay. He can’t afford to have an attack here. Not here, not now. They might think that he’s not competent enough for this and Yuuri can’t have that. So he straightens his back, clutches the folder closer to his chest, opens the door and steps inside. 

 

And once again, Yuuri feels lightheaded. Those ocean blue eyes and platinum blonde hair is too familiar, too close to the memories that he had left behind. They were kids when they had last seen each other and the other probably doesn’t even remember him but Yuuri perfectly remembers him. Some of his memories may already have faded at the edges but this person before him, _Viktor,_ he’s the only one that Yuuri can never forget. He just can never let go of him, no matter how much he wants to. 

 

Even if Viktor is a painful reminder of what he had lost. 

 

And it hurts too much. 

 

It burns. 

 

Like acid. 

 

 

###

 

 

 _No. No. No. No. He can’t be trusted. All humans are scum. They’re evil. They will trick you. They will pretend to be nice and help you and then they will hurt you when you least expect it. Grandpa is the only one; the only human who can be trusted. Aside from Grandpa, all humans are scum._

 

“Please! We don’t have much time! Please! Help me! I can’t let them kill him!” 

 

 _But his eyes…his eyes are just like Grandpa’s. Exactly just like Grandpa’s on that winter night…_

 

“…As far as I know, there are three of us in here.” 

 

 

###

 

 

Someone enters the cell that Viktor is in but he remains on his spot on the floor. It’ll probably get him in more pain but Viktor can’t bring himself to care. 

 

It hurts. Everything just hurts. Viktor feels as if everything inside him is breaking and no amount of rational thinking, of telling himself that it’s not the time for self-pity or of being positive will turn back time and bring back Chris and Stéphane. 

 

They’re dead.

 

And it’s Viktor’s fault. 

 

Viktor looks behind him, with the intention of determining if he was about to be in a world of pain when he sees _him_ and Viktor freezes. 

 

Jet black hair and painfully familiar brown eyes. 

 

Viktor breathes in shakily. 

 

“Yuuri?” 

 

 

###

 

 

Yuuri wakes up to the familiar ceiling of the break room. He takes a few seconds to gather back his memories and promptly sits up when he finally remembers everything. 

 

“Hey, easy, easy,” gentle hands help Yuuri sit up and he looks at his right, and there’s Seung-gil, worry in his eyes. 

 

“Wh-what happened?” 

 

“You suddenly collapsed,” Seung-gil answers and falls silent afterwards. 

 

Seung-gil doesn’t ask and Yuuri doesn’t explain. They stay like that for a while until Seung-gil is called and he leaves with a quiet ‘take care of yourself, Yuuri.’ 

 

Yuuri breathes in the quiet for a few seconds, revelling in the feeling of his nerves easing up when he feels a white hot pain on the right side of his hip. Yuuri sucks in a sharp breath. He had tried to move and it hurt. The right side of his hip felt raw. Did he fell on his side when he collapsed? 

 

Yuuri lifts his shirt gingerly, prepared to find a nasty bruise on his hip but finds something else instead. 

 

Blue roses.

 

A bunch of blue roses were drawn on Yuuri’s hip. 

 

_What…_

 

 

###

 

 

Yuri watched the scene unfold before him with a mixture horror and disbelief. 

 

_Seriously? **Fucking** seriously?_

 

Yuri looks at the human who’s on the floor, unconscious.

 

Is this for real? Really? Did Yuri misinterpret the situation? But Yuri’s sure of what he just saw seconds ago so it’s either that or fate is an asshole. 

 

The human is still out cold so Yuri looks at the silver haired guy instead and just as he predicted, the other has confusion written all over his face. Silver hair remains seated on the floor, clutching his right collarbone which Yuri is a hundred percent sure is burning. Their eyes meet and once again Yuri is reminded of how absurd the situation is. 

 

“Really? _Really?_ Out of all the people, out of _everyone_ in the whole world, it had to be this human? _Are you fucking with me right now?!"_

 

Silver hair checks the mark on his collarbone; faints seconds later and Yuri couldn’t help but groan out loud. 

 

_This is fucking ridiculous._

 

 

###

 

 

_No…no it can’t be. Yuuri can’t be here. I’m going crazy. I’m imagining all of this. Yuuri’s not here. He can’t be. Yuuri’s…Yuuri’s already dead. He died years ago. He died that night. The fire. It killed him. He’s dead. I’m going crazy. That’s it. I lost my mind, I’m sure._

 

Their eyes meet and a flash of burning pain sinks its claw on Viktor’s right collarbone. He lets out a yelp as his hand comes up to clutch his collarbone in a fruitless attempt to stop the pain. It hurts. It’s like someone had just pressed a branding iron on his skin. 

 

 _What’s happening?_

 

Viktor hears a loud thud and for a second fear strikes him across the face as his mind replays the sound of two bodies hitting the floor. Viktor looks back to Yuuri in a panic, the thundering sound of gunshots whispering maliciously at the corners of his mind. 

 

Yuuri was on the ground, unconscious, but not dead.

 

The pain on Viktor’s collarbones throbs and he couldn’t help but gasp sharply. 

 

_What’s happening to me?_

Viktor meets the eyes of the blonde kid in the cells across from him, his eyes conveying to Viktor how incredulous the whole situation was to him.

“Really? _Really?_ Out of all the people, out of _everyone_ in the whole world, it had to be this human? _Are you fucking with me right now?!"_

_What..._

Viktor unintentionally presses down on his collarbone and he hisses. Just what is it? Did Viktor break his collarbone earlier or something?

Viktor carefully lifts the collar of his shirt and he looks at his collarbone and sees a…tattoo?

Flowers with white petals were drawn on Viktor’s collarbone and a memory that Viktor has long forgotten breaches the surface of his mind and Viktor feels like he’s drowning.

_This flower is called Diphylleia Grayi, Vitya._

_It’s commonly known as the skeleton flower. At first glance, it may appear to be nothing but an ordinary flower but when it comes in contact with rain, its petals turns translucent._

_Like a flower made of glass_

_It’s very beautiful, Vitya._

_Viktor feels the oxygen escaping his body and he falls into the dark abyss of unconsciousness, his mother’s soothing voice accompanying him on his dark descent._

###

Yuuri feels as if his head had been filled with cold air and the paralysing fear that spreads in his body steals his breath as he reads the words printed on the paper he’s holding. The black words on the white paper feel heavy and it’s as if they’re mocking Yuuri.

_Termination…?_

Yuuri’s lungs work overtime to give him the oxygen that he just can’t seem to have; the feeling of lightheadedness kicking in. Feeling faint, Yuuri returns the paper inside the folder and back to its place in the drawer and he leaves, making sure that no one saw him as he exits the office.

_There’s no time left._

###

Yuri stares with apprehension as the black haired man takes off the shackles from his hands and feet. The scene is painfully familiar with something that happened in the past and Yuri waits for the betrayal to happen. But it doesn’t come. Instead, black haired dude looks back at him with urgency when he realised that Yuri didn’t follow him out of his cell.

“Hurry! We don’t have much time! We still need to get the other two!”

At the reminder of Otabek, Yuri scrambles to follow after the guy, hope starting to make itself known but Yuri’s suspicious anger wins over him.

He cannot let go. Humans are dangerous. They’re especially good with deceiving and betraying others. Yuri knows this, knows it painfully well.

“Why are you doing this? Why are you helping us?” Yuri snarls as he follows the man, still unwilling to give him his trust.

The black haired man takes a sharp breath as if he was in pain and a haunting look flashes across his eyes.

“I can’t let Viktor die. I can’t let anyone die. Not like Minami-kun. No more. No more of that.”

Their eyes meet for a second and once again, Yuri is reminded of his Grandpa on that cold and bitter winter night. And for a few seconds, Yuri is once again an eleven-year-old kid, shivering from the harsh cold, his heart collapsing in on itself as his Grandpa told him that he needs to run, that there wasn’t much time left, he needs to run now and Grandpa will stay to buy him some time so he needs to go now. Yuri smells the Pirozhki that his Grandpa had baked in the morning before the tragedy had happened and he feels the hot tears as they fell down his cheeks as his Grandpa hugs him for the last time, his comforting warmth reminding him that this will be it and after this, there will be no more.

And Yuri thinks that humans are scum and they should never be trusted but if it’s someone like Grandpa, then it’s okay.

###

“I’m pretty sure you’ve figured out what that mark on your collarbone means,” the blonde kid says as Viktor looks at him.

“D-does everyone has these? “ Viktor asks and he gestures vaguely on the mark on his collarbone.

“Yeah,” the kid answers and lifts the sleeve of his left shoulder and Viktor sees Forget-Me-Not’s curling delicately around his shoulder.

“And your sou-person has this too?”

“Yes. A Tiger Lily.”

Viktor nods and looks away, unsure of what he should think about all of it. First, he finds out that he’s an Avian and now this. And Yuuri’s his…his…something.

Yuuri, who should’ve died when they were kids.

Viktor still remembers the fire from that night years ago. Viktor still remembers the desperation that clawed at him, begging him to go back to the building to save Yuuri. Still, remembers the feeling of his heart breaking as his parents held him back from running straight to the still burning building as someone had told them that Yuuri had died along with his parents. Still, remembers the feeling of his soul dying as he saw the coffins lowered down on the ground.

And years after that, Viktor’s heart remained broken, unable to mend its self back together.

But right now, Yuuri is alive. He’s alive and he remembers Viktor and he’s Viktor’s…soulmate.

_“I hope one day I’ll find my special someone like you and Mama, Papa.”_

_“Oh, you will, Vitya. You will. I have no doubt about that.”_

_“…But I’m worried.”_

_“About what?”_

_“What if…what if I don’t recognise them? What if I don’t know it’s them and I just pass them by and never meet them again, Papa?”_

_“You’ll know, Vitya. I promise you will. When you meet that special someone you will definitely know and when you do, don’t let go of them, okay?”_

_“I won’t, Papa. I promise.”_

###

He’s an idiot.

He’s an idiot.

_He’s a fucking idiot._

Yuuri’s lungs burn as he runs as fast as his legs could carry, his hand tightening its hold on Viktor’s, unwilling to lose the man for the second time around. He ducks through corners and slips through dark alleyways, his heart slamming violently against his ribcage.

He should’ve planned it carefully, should’ve thought things through. But the fear weighed heavily on Yuuri’s mind and Minami’s mangled body keeps on flashing before his eyes and all he could think about was to get Viktor and the other Avians away from that place as fast as possible.

**Termination.**

No.

No Avian will die again.

No more.

###

Yuri doesn’t feel betrayed as they were pushed off the bridge. Instead, he felt fear. Not for him or Beka or even for the silver haired guy but for the human who pushed the three of them off the bridge.

“Go! Fly!” Yuri feels a warm and shaking hand push him and all of a sudden he’s falling.

Their eyes meet once again and Yuri sees the fear, sadness and desperation in the human’s eyes. Exactly just like how his Grandpa had looked as he begged Yuri to run away and save his self. Yuri feels the tears pooling at the corner of his eyes.

He is once again powerless.

Helpless anger burns inside him and Yuri forces his stupid wings to work, to fly. He knows that he shouldn’t, that doing that would just probably hurt him later but he refuses to be a helpless little kid once again.

His wings feel like they’re burning and he grits his teeth as he helps Beka carry the silver haired guy.

“Yuuri!”

The silver haired guy calls out in a broken, desperate voice that hurts Yuri’s heart and he looks back and sees the human turning his back to face the soldiers who had been chasing them. 

The memory of his Grandpa and the sounds of gunshots too loud for comfort lashed at Yuri’s mind and in a blink of an eye, the spot where the human previously stood was nothing but an explosion. Twisting and turning orange-red petals of fire swallow up half of the bridge like an unfurling flower of disaster. And the human was somewhere in the middle of that blazing inferno. 

In a short glimpse, Yuri sees a silhouette of a man amongst the billowing smoke and the silver haired man lets out a despairing wail and Yuri looks away from the hellish scene, eyes wide and unwilling to accept the scene that just occurred as the truth. 

His heart squeezes painfully and he could only imagine how much it hurts to witness your other half die with your very own eyes. 

###

Viktor meets Yuuri’s eyes just as he pushes them off the bridge, his hand on Viktor’s chest felt like a branding iron and Viktor gasps as he starts to fall, desperately reaching out for Yuuri’s hand but he was a second too late and Yuuri takes his hand back, leaving a searing pain on Viktor’s chest. 

Viktor sees the fear in Yuuri’s eyes, the desperation, the sadness and something else that Viktor can’t quite understand. It causes fear to bloom violently inside him.

_I’m sorry, Viktor._

An image flashes in Viktor’s mind and fear consumes his whole. 

_No no no no no no no_

Viktor calls out his name and Yuuri smiles at him, a small and sad thing, and he turns away, determination in his posture and Viktor knows and it hurts. 

The explosion happens and Viktor wails, vehemently against the truth that reality is shoving down his throat but in the end, Viktor is powerless and he is forced to witness as Yuuri is once again taken away from him by hellish flames.

And Viktor’s heart shatters once again.

**Author's Note:**

> This is inspired by Keyade's Avian AU on tumblr : http://keyade.tumblr.com/post/156210775449/the-yoi-avian-au-ive-been-working-on-for-a-while
> 
> This was only supposed to be at least 500k to 1k but then ideas happened and it turned into this xDD
> 
> Also, this fic would never be finished if not for Akakuro4869 and ScarletAkiChin xD 
> 
> Lai-chan, thank you for listening to my sleep deprived ramblings at random times in the day and thank you Seitsuna-san for being my first victim and helping me when I had a panic attack over this fic :* 
> 
> edit: it is so hard and painful to try and edit your fic in ao3 and the format is all messed up whyyy


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